hi everyone + happy valentine’s day! in honor of the holiday, i’ve put together a list of some extra-special romance films that i think would be perfect to watch alone in your room while eating the chocolate you bought for yourself (or with a significant other, i guess).

i consider myself to be very picky with romance films, romcoms specifically, and these are some of my absolute favorites. do with that information what you will ❤

Amélie (2001) dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet

one of my all-time top favorites forever, Amélie is a warm hug of a film, sweet and whimsical and so beautiful. an absolute perfect watch for valentine’s day and every other day of the year. from the cute parisian café amélie works at to the busy streets and bright colors of the city scenery, watching this movie is such an enjoyable experience. the character of amélie herself is so beautiful, kindhearted, thoughtful, and the exact type of person you’d want to follow around for a couple hours. amélie is always trying to fix other people’s problems, secretly matchmaking her coworkers or anonymously returning lost items. what happens when she is confronted with changing her own life?

Down With Love (2003) dir. Peyton Reed

renée zellweger and ewan mcgregor in brightly colored and fashionable outfits frolicking around a technicolor new york city in the 1960s?? sign me up. ewan plays a cary grant-esque womanizing columnist, catcher block, and renée plays barbara novak, a barbara stanwyck/katharine hepburn type (and surely kim novak, too) who is self assured and confident in her pursuit of success and sex, no romance-related strings attached. catcher wants to “expose” barbara, and disprove her internationally bestselling book that declares women should treat sex the same way men do: casually and with little regard to romantic attachment. i genuinely can’t believe this isn’t more popular. it’s fun, bright, charming, has sarah paulson, and the chemistry between renée and ewan is undeniable. the humor of the film is inherent in its level of 1960s-based parody and farce, but the dialogue is sharp and the characters interact with each other so well, it doesn’t take any prior recognition of the 1960s or films from the era to enjoy. bonus, it includes one of the best/funniest/most creatively shot phone call scenes i’ve ever seen in my life.

Roman Holiday (1950) dir. William Wyler

starring audrey hepburn early in her career and gregory peck at his dreamiest, this film follows a princess, ann, visiting rome, and the reporter she stumbles across on a night out, joe. ann is concealing the information about her royal status, but once joe figures it out, he realizes how successful an exclusive story about her would be for his career. he takes her on a day around the city, riding vespas, eating ice cream, showing her landmarks, and as the two grow closer it slowly becomes clear to joe that her company, if only for a day, is more valuable than any riches or fame from an article could be. the chemistry between these two is undeniable, both are so charming separately, and together it’s electric. the b&w shots of rome are so stunning as well, and have put the city high on my dream travel list–if only just to see the places they filmed!

available on paramount+ us

Anaïs in Love (2021) dir. Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet

i’ll make pretty french girls attempting to navigate their messy lives a recurring theme on this list with Anaïs in Love. this is the most recent entry on here, and it’s worthy of its spot. it’s beautifully shot, the actress playing anaïs, also named anaïs, feels so natural in her role and is so charming despite her bad decisions. watching a beautiful bisexual french woman navigate her love life with disastrous outcomes should be some sort of sporting event. anaïs is a bit more problematic than amélie, but she is no less fun to watch, and her journey over the course of the film is really exciting. plus, there’s a “bette davis eyes” needledrop that has not left my brain since i first watched this, two years ago. this film, to quote one of my all-time favorite letterboxd reviews, is basically what happens “when the sexiest thing about a man is his wife.” like i said, she’s messy. but no judgement! she’s so fun!

available on hulu us, hoopla

Moonstruck (1987) dir. Norman Jewison

at its release, this film was incredibly popular, selling very well at the box office, getting strong ratings from critics and audiences alike, and securing several academy award nominations (and winning three!). but that was in 1987, and i fear this film does not get the love it deserves from people like me who were born several years after it came out. cher is perfect in this, and nicolas cage is genuinely one of the most entertaining human beings i have ever witnessed in anything, especially in this. this movie has it all: italian-americans, nic cage’s prosthetic hand, cher slapping nic cage, and like what more do you need than that? do yourself a favor and watch this if you haven’t. side effects may include cher hair envy and a desire to go the opera with a rough-around-the-edges softie who looks like nic cage from 1987.

available on hoopla

The Shop Around the Corner (1940) dir. Ernst Lubitsch

based on the same source material as (and a closer adaptation of) You’ve Got Mail, this film is truly excellent. everyone loves a good enemies-to-lovers, and rival coworkers-to-lovers is a very acceptable format of that for me! jimmy stewart has me blushing and giggling and margaret sullavan is so sweet, and the actors in real life were very close friends. later on jimmy admitted he’d been in love with margaret for many years (but she was married to henry fonda, one of his best friends, so he didn’t do anything about it) and i think that love comes through in this. the way he looks at her!!! the way he softens over the course of the movie. and the diner scene… the DINER. SCENE. so much romantic tension. this is technically a christmas movie and is a great december watch, but it’s still winter technically!! worth watching, especially if you like You’ve Got Mail or She Loves Me.

In the Mood for Love (2000) dir. Wong Kar-Wai

and if all of those seem too light, then i have something for you, too. wong kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love will break your heart, shatter your soul, and ruin your day, but will look absolutely beautiful while doing it. everything maggie cheung wears in this film is absolutely gorgeous and everything she does in this film is so precise and heart-wrenching. basically the two main characters are neighbors, and realize their spouses are having an affair together. as the two attempt to deal with it, they find comfort in each others’ company. the chemistry between tony leung and maggie cheung… like, i’m speechless thinking about it. wong kar-wai does yearning really, really well. highly recommend!

available on max and criterion channel

(and if you are wanting something like this but have already seen In the Mood for Love, check out Brief Encounter (1945). or you know, protect your peace. i kinda think you should watch it though… also on max & criterion channel)

if all else fails, watch gone girl. always watch gone girl.

i hope you spend today with the ones you love, whether it be a partner, friends, family, pets, movies, favorite foods, books, whatever your type of love is. ❤

xx
kendall